Suspicious Advice
By: General Michel Aoun
(translated by: Elias Bejjani)

In Lebanon, hardly a day passes without reading in newspapers several announcements, commentaries or political analyses attributed to official sources, all calling on Christians to be open on Syria. It is not any more a secret that the Syrian manipulated Media is trying to portray the Lebanese Christians as a group of radicals and fanatics--a group refusing to co-operate with the Syrian regime. This regime resorts to vicious media maneuvers to justify its ongoing brutal persecution of Christians, hoping they will surrender, abandon their patriotic objectives, and ultimately accept slavery imposed on Lebanon.

Lebanese Christians are not defending a Christian cause, but a national Lebanese cause. Independence, sovereignty, freedom, respect for human rights and fair implementation of the Lebanese laws, are all for the advantage of Lebanese wellbeing and prosperity.

Christian awareness of these malicious media maneuvers aborts its damaging results, and exposes its vindictive aims. Lebanese Christians are not radicals or fanatics because they are Christians. They will not be submissive, they were born free and shall die so. Christianity is openness. It believes in almighty God, as being a God for all mankind, and preaches as such. Christianity is open to all, and for all. It represents all precious values man has been endeavoring to achieve. It is vain to isolate Christians, they are not liable for isolation, and never isolate themselves. They get involved in all that goes on around them, and accordingly act react and interact.

Those giving advice (not necessarily non-Christians), ought to advise themselves first. They should work hard to get rid of their deep-rooted false beliefs and fanaticism. They have to free themselves from devious shameful involvements, that trap them and lead their country into very serious catastrophes. To those trying to cover up, hide and manipulate the people by fake superficial stands on current basic national issues, we say: watch out for crimes you are committing... Your acts are shameful and will solidify and lengthen the Syrian occupation, and furthermore, will destroy the unique national character of Lebanon.

With pride and dignity we refuse to submit to slavery, dictatorship, or to remnants of fascism and Stalinism. We refuse to submit to an oppressed intellectual milieu that hinders freedom and prevents self-achievement. We call on the Syrian-installed regime officials to be open to human values. Values that made the world a better place for living.

The core and essence of the actual problem lies in the bunker mentality of the Syrians, not in the alleged isolation of Lebanese Christians. Let us not confuse the roles.

7/11/1997
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